The present invention relates to a new and improved air pollution control device, and more particularly to an electrocatalytic converter for controlling the temperature and the chemical composition of the exhausted unburned gases of combustion engines and particularly low temperature air pollution stemming out from other diverse sources associated with industrial processes, energy production, residential woodburning units, Kerosene heaters, automobile exhaust pipes, etc. Different air pollution control approaches are being used but air pollution problems remain unsolved. The conventional catalytic converters employed in automobiles are inefficient and useless for low temperature air pollutants stemming out from many sources. Innovation is needed to develop new ways to deal with air pollution problems. The electrocatalytic converter protrudes in the pollutants' exhaust line. The electrocatalytic converter is comprising a tubular heating rod having a plurality of heating fins. The heating fins are metallic or ceramic projections rigid, flat, or curved surfaces radially mounted along the tubular heating rod. Both the heating rod and heating fins are covered with a tiny coating of platinum, palladium and rhodium and they are acting as thermocatalysts.
When low temperature air pollutants are forced to flow through the electrocatalytic converter they contact the heating rod and heating fins which cause a rapid increase in the exhaust temperature. This in turn causes the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to change into water vapor and carbon dioxide, and reduce oxides of nitrogen. Both oxidation and reduction take place on the surface of the heating rod and the heating fins, which as catalysts do not participate in the reaction.